Bondfield Construction Company Ltd. has reportedly been running into problems in completing jobs and paying subcontractors, resulting in serious delays or putting into limbo a dozen public sector construction projects, according to a Globe and Mail report.
Since the start of 2018, the family-owned firm based in Vaughan, north of Toronto, has been terminated as the general contractor on three public-sector projects, and several others are mired in delays, The Globe and Mail reports. “Frustrated subcontractors have had to take extraordinary steps to get paid on Bondfield projects – in some cases striking agreements to receive payment directly from the public-sector institutions or turning to Bondfield’s insurer for compensation,” the newspaper reported.
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The result has been a flurry of lawsuits, liens and a growing list of aggrieved public institutions. One of the company’s major hospital projects, doubling the size of the emergency department and adding more inpatient beds at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Southwestern Ontario, is 22 months behind schedule.
“Let me stress that we are profoundly disappointed and frustrated with the delays,” Alan Findlay, a spokesman for Infrastructure Ontario (IO), was quoted as saying. IO awarded Bondfield the $187-million Cambridge Memorial contract. “We are working with each project owner to protect taxpayers from cost overruns caused by the delays. We are determined to make sure the projects get done.”
Bondfield declined to respond to questions about specific projects, but in a statement to the Globe and Mail the company said: “Bondfield is extremely proud of its successful track record on numerous major projects in Ontario. Project delays are often an unfortunate but unavoidable part of large construction projects, and Bondfield’s record in that regard is no different than any major contractor.”